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The One Time
Chapter 1 :I didn't understand this. I threw down my pencil, cursing. :As my classmates stared at me, I realized I had said something really bad. Great, I thought, the principal again. :"What did you just say?" Patty asked. :"Um..." I mumbled, trailing off. "Nothing." :"It sounded like another language," Vance pushed. Of course. Patty's boyfriend. :I blinked. :"It was Greek," Lena said. "I know Greek. That was pretty offensive, Annie." :I looked around, feeling my face harden. "So what?" I asked. :Lena stared at me. I shook my head and turned back to Algebra, staring at the polynomial again, trying to remember how to do it. :"Multiply," I murmured, "No. Add this and this, then- no." :"Annie Morin," a voice whispered, "ask to go to the bathroom." :I looked up, and watched as Nico walked away from me. :Colin was sitting across the isle, nodding at me. "Do it," he mouthed. "I need to talk." :I quickly nodded and walked up to Mrs. Feldman's desk. "Can I go to the bathroom?" I asked. :She nodded, and handed the other pass to Colin, who had already walked up. :We left the room together. :"Okay," Colin said, "we can't talk for long." :"Duh," I muttered. :"But..." Colin began, "it's almost the end of 8th grade. And we're going to high school soon." :I nodded. I knew very well how close we were, how we would be going to different schools. I remembered Field Day of the year before, and I knew something related to that was about to happen. :"I," Colin began, "know what you are." :I blinked. "What?" :"You can't focus, you have dyslexia, and you just cursed in Greek. Ancient Greek," he added. "You said 'Curse the Gods'." :I blinked. "What?" :"You're a demigod, Annie," Colin told me. "And I'm one too." ---- Chapter 2 :I was now completely unable to focus on the polynomial, so I pretended to write and scratch things out while I thought about what Colin had told me. :Demigods, superhumans, really, were the sons and daughters of the Olympian gods, living on Olympus. :Did you know Olympus was in New York City? I didn't. :Colin told me that, now, monsters would attack me. After the final exam, and school ended, I was to follow him home. :Closely. :I looked up to see Mrs. Feldman standing over me. "What are you doing?" she hissed. "You're supposed to be doing this!" she said, tapping the exam. :I stared at her. I didn't feel like this, I had too many things on my mind. I stood, said I was finished, and left the room. :Colin stared at me in despair as I left. :"Hey, Greek Girl," I heard Lena say as I made it to the hall. "You're finished? You're so slow." :"Just because I'm slow doesn't mean you're smart," I muttered. :Lena's eyes flashed. "You smell scared," she whispered. :"How do I smell scared?" I asked, confused. :Then I realized- Lena must be a monster. :I slammed myself against the wall, calling for help in Greek. I think it was Greek. :Lena transformed into something strange. A girl on the top half, with one metal leg and a hairy one. :I laughed. "Seriously?" I asked. "That's it?" :Lena hissed. Her fangs showed. :"I guess not," I muttered, and I began to call for help again. :Suddenly Colin burst out of the room. "I finished as fast as I could," he puffed. "W- oh." He had seen Lena. :"I knew you were a monster," Colin yelled. He took something out of his pocket. Something long and shiny, and there was no way it could of fit into his pocket. :I realized it was a sword. :Colin stabbed Lena in the stomach. She yelled and began to... disintegrate. And soon there was only a pile of ashes on the floor. :"There goes my scholarship," Colin muttered. "Mrs. Feldman, I turned a student into ashes," he said in a high-pitched voice, imitating what he would say. :I laughed. "Isn't that what we do?" :Colin grinned, nodded, and picked up his fallen sword. "We might as well leave now." :I nodded. :And together, we walked out of the school. :Hand in hand. ---- Chapter 3 :I was on a bus. It was a big, comfy bus. There were T.V.s and speakers, and headphones. :There were two seats in the row, and Colin was sitting in the isle. :I liked the window seat. :"What do you think, then?" Colin asked me. "About all this?" :"It makes it really hard to concentrate on polynomials," I joked. :Colin laughed. "Very funny." :"I do have a question," I said. "How did the sword fit in your pocket?" :"Magic," Colin whispered. "You'll see more when we get to Camp Half-Blood." :Colin had told me all about it while he bought our tickets. It was a camp for kids like me, people who had powers. All the kids there were children of the gods, and some of them didn't know who their Olympian parent was. :I hoped I found out soon. :"What is my power?" I asked. :"You'll have powers," Colin said. "That's plural. And it depends on who your parent is. My father is Apollo." :"The God of poetry and of the sun," I sang, remembering my lessons from sixth grade. :"That's right," Colin said. :"What can you do?" I asked. :"I can curse others into only speaking in rhyme. It's actually pretty funny," he added, laughing. :I blinked. "Anything related to the sun?" I asked. :Colin grinned. "I can manipulate light," he said. :I grinned back. "Awesome!" :I personally hoped that I wasn't Apollo's daughter, but my mom was the only family member I knew that was alive. So, Apollo was a possibility. :"Who are the male gods, again?" I asked Colin. :"Zeus, Poseidon, Hermes, Apollo, Ares, Dionysus, and Hades," Colin replied. "Are those your possibilities?" :I nodded. :"Well, let's hope it's not Apollo," Colin said. I knew that he was thinking the same thing I was- We couldn't date. :Suddenly the bus stopped. :"Here we are," the bus driver called to us. "Not many people come here, it's strange, you know?" :Colin smiled, nodded, paid him, and we stepped off the bus. :Into my new life as a demigod. ---- Chapter 4 :I felt a change inside me as we reached the top of the hill. I felt safer, more protected. But Colin was at my side. He was holding my hand. :I looked around. There was a camper in an orange T-shirt that said Camp Half-blood. They were climbing a climbing wall. As I watched, lava poured down the side. :I felt Colin squeeze my hand in excitement as he turned to see where I was looking. "The climbing wall's easy," he said. :I looked at him. :"Well, should we go find Chiron?" Colin asked. :I nodded slowly and began to walk down the hill to a building. "The Big House," Colin explained. :A half-man, half-goat came up to us. "Hi," he said. "I'm Grover. A satyr," he added, looking at me. :Grover looked young, but he also looked like he had wisdom. :"Grover!" a man called. "Come on, we have to-" :He stopped, and looked at me and Colin. :"Good job, Colin," he said. :"Thank you, Mr. Jackson," Colin said. :"Call me Percy," Mr. Jackson said. Then he turned to me. "Who are you? Can you see all this?" :"I can," I said. "Or I would be blind." :"I haven't told her everything," Colin mumbled. :"Well, should we go inside?" Percy asked. :I nodded and the other three led me inside to a ping-pong table, where they pulled up chairs and sat around it. :"This is Mr. D," Colin said, pointing at another man. He had purple eyes. "What man has purple eyes?" I asked him. :Mr. D laughed. "I am no man," he said. "I'm Dionysus!" :I felt myself turn red. "Sorry," I murmured. :"And, if you're wondering, I'm not your father," Dionysus added. :I nodded. :"Mr. D was punished and sent here for a time," Colin said. "He was to work with children like us, and teach them how... how to be a demigod, really. But Mr. Jackson-" :"Percy!" he interrupted. :"Yes, Percy. He took over as director and Mr. D helps out when Percy needs him to." :"Where's Chiron?" I asked. :"Right there," Colin said, pointing to a man in a wheelchair. :I blinked. "Did he lose his horse half?" :The man laughed. "No, I like to stay in the wheelchair, for first impressions." :"Okay," I said. :As Colin squeezed my hand again, I was sure that nothing could go wrong, however strange they were. ---- Chapter 5 :"Come on, he isn't so bad!" Colin said, tugging my hand. "He's just a little violent." :"A little?" I asked, astonished. "He swung a sword at me!" :"He didn't swing it at you, he was testing the balance," Colin said. :"Oh," I said, blinking. "Fine, I'll go in, but you have to stay between us." :Colin sighed. "Fine, if that's the only way you'll go in." :He led me inside the Hephaestus cabin, where a boy was hammering a sword blade. :"Hi," the boy said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." :"It's okay, Adonis," I replied. :"How do you know my name?" Adonis demanded, picking up another sword. :I stepped back. "Colin told me," I said. :"Oh," Adonis said, lowering the sword. "Do you like the handle of this one?" he asked. :"Um," I began, "why?" :"I'm making it for my girlfriend, and she likes pretty things. So I'm making a pretty sword." :I blinked. "Yeah, it's cool." :Adonis blushed. "Thank you. You're a girl. If a sword could do anything, what would it do?" :"Annie doesn't want to be drawn into your girlfriend's gift, Adonis," Colin said quickly, before I could answer that it would cut my hair perfectly, and style it. :Adoniss looked slightly offended. :"Sorry," Colin said quickly, "but we came here so she could get her own sword." :"Isn't that Cal's job, then?" Adonis asked. :"He's away for a short time," Colin explained. :"Oh," Adonis said. "Okay, here, try this one." He handed me a sword. :I swiped it though the air. I didn't feel any connection to it. "What is it supposed to feel like?" :"An extension of your arm," Adonis replied. :I swung it again. "Can I try another one?" :Adonis handed me the second one. :I grasped it in my hand, and it felt natural. Raising it, I swung it through the air, and it was perfect." :I couldn't help but gasp as I finished my cut. "Is it supposed to feel light?" :"I enchanted it," Adonis explained. :"Does it have a name?" I asked. :Adonis shook his head, smiling as he did. :"Okay, then," I murmured. "I'll think about it." :"No," Adonis demanded. "You have to name it before you leave." :I blinked. "Fine," I snarled. :I came up with an idea. "Um, how about..." :"Deadbringer," a voice suddenly boomed. "That is the sword's name and that is what it will stay as." :Adonis gasped and fell on the floor. Colin backed away from me. :"Deadbringer?" I asked. "I like it!" :Colin stared at me. "Okay, let's go. We have to put you in the Hermes cabin." :I nodded, and I waved goodbye to Colin as I walked away from Adonis. ---- Chapter 6 :Stepping into the Hermes cabin, I saw that there were a lot of kids there, waiting to be claimed. :I couldn't stop shaking without Colin to protect me. I was used to him by my side, and I really didn't want it to stop. :Sometimes love was overwhelming. :The kids looked up when I entered, and all of them sighed. "Another one?" one asked. :"Be quiet, Luke," an older kid said loudly. Standing up, he added to me, "Hi, I'm Chance. I actually am a son of Hermes, so I'm here a lot." :I grinned. "So I'm here for a while, huh?" :Chance scowled. "The Gods promised on the River Styx that this wouldn't happen again, but it did anyway." :One kid yelled, "Hey! Adonis must've made that sword." :I told him, "I just got it. I'm new here." :"What do you call it?" he asked. :I shuddered, suddenly realizing what the name really was. "Deadbringer." :Chance glanced at the sword. Then he looked back at me. "Well, there's one more spot, and hopefully we won't find any more demigods." :He directed me over to a corner, saying that there was a rumor that Percy Jackson had slept here. There was also a rumor that Kronos was once a camper here. :I didn't believe a word. :"Well," Chance said, looking at me, "I'll go steal you some stuff, and some clothes, and... there's Capture the Flag tonight." :I nodded, and wondered what it was like. :I stood in my armor, ready to fight. I was a defender, and hopefully I wouldn't die on the job. :I heard footsteps behind me, and I whirled around. :It was Colin. :"Hi," he whispered. :"Hi," I whispered back. :"Um, can we talk?" Colin asked. :"Not now, what if-" :"I mean, after the game. After we win," he added. :I smiled. "Sure." :He walked away from me just as I heard a heavy footstep. :I steadied Deathbringer, hoping that it would be my team with the flag. :It wasn't. It was a kid, with a scowl on his face. He had a girl next to him, and they were both fully dressed. :"I told Veronica that it was nice here, she wanted to-" the boy began. :"I don't care," I interrupted. "Go somewhere else." :"But she wanted to make out here!" the boy shouted. He let go of Veronica's hand and lifted a sword, which I hadn't noticed in the other hand. :"Come on," I whispered. "I can take you." :The boy attacked, yelling. :I blocked with Deathbringer, and I stamped the ground in an attempt to get a hold on the ground, stable legs. :I suddenly felt exhausted. My sword was light, but I was drained of all power. :I collapsed. :"Now, let's cut off her head, shall we?" the boy asked himself. :Suddenly, he was thrown aside by... I couldn't tell, but it looked like three skeletons. In my last moments before I fainted, I looked up, and saw a whole army coming out of the ground, ready to fight, and Veronica's boyfriend desperately trying to fend them off. :And then everything went black. ---- Chapter 7 :The first thing I saw when I woke up was a skull's head floating above my own. :I sat up instantly, but I had to lay back down almost as quickly. :Colin appeared, his face white. "You're okay," he breathed. :I nodded, exhausted. :Colin must of seen something on my face, because he asked, "What's wrong?" :"When I woke up," I began, "I saw a skull's head." :"I'll get it out," Colin promised. "Where is it?" :"Gone," I replied. When Colin looked surprised, I said, "You didn't give me a chance to tell you that the skull was above my head." :Colin gasped and sat down. "You're… a child of Hades!" he announced, his face ghostly pale. "Oh, gods, Hades will-" :"Even the gods themselves are training their children to not like me." A man stepped out of the shadows. "Just because I'm Lord of the Dead." :"Hello, father," I said. :After Dionysus had come in and discovered Hades, he made us tea out of thin air and left swiftly. :"Why tea?" I asked. :Hades smiled. "Annie. I came here to see if you were okay." :"I'm fine," I said, "no need to fuss over me." :Hades's eyes flared. Colin fell out of his chair in fear and I slammed against the wall. :But Hades was laughing. "I love doing that!" he said. :Colin glared at him, dusting off his pants. :Hades looked at me once again. "Freckles," he murmured. "Brown hair, slight acne..." :"Dad!" I protested. :"What?" Hades asked. He ignored my rude reply and stared at me more, taking in my shape and size. "Good fighter," he murmured. "Better-looking then Nico, anyway." :Colin's eyes flared. "You can't judge someone on their looks!" :"I don't care," Hades said. :"Don't push it," I murmured to him. "It doesn't matter, he does what he does." :Hades looked appreciative of me. "The first kid I've had who supported me during the first five minutes." :I wondered if I should tell him about my very limited knowledge about the Greek gods. :Colin glared at me, and I felt a surge of anger. "Can I talk to you?" I demanded. :Colin blinked. :"Hades," I began, "Dionysus, Chiron and Percy are out there playing poker," I informed him. "Why don't you join them?" :Hades nodded his head, and vanished in a puff of smoke. :A skull was left behind. ---- Chapter 8 :"What do you want?" Colin asked. :"You seem to be judging my own father," I said. "You haven't even met him." :"I have," Colin said. :"When?" I demanded. :"When I tried to get my sister back," Colin said hoarsely. :As Colin finished his tale, I was angry. Hades had no right to do that! :Suddenly the Lord of the Dead burst in to the room. "You had no right to tell that story!" he boomed. :Colin stood his ground. "She had to know, you're her father, you idiot!" :I stood my ground, clenching my fists. :"You need to wipe her memory!" Hades snarled. :"Then she'll forget the story," Colin snarled. "I don't want her to." :Hades started to glow. :Colin gasped, turned me around, and I couldn't see what happened next. :I somehow knew not to look, but suddenly the light stopped, and I turned back around. :Percy was there, breathless. Dionysus waited in the doorway. :"What happened?" Percy asked. :"Hades... he just came. And joined in," Dionysus said. "That's all we saw. Then all of a sudden he disappeared." :I sighed. "When I awoke, I saw something above my head." :Percy looked pained. "Hades... is your father?" :I nodded. :Colin held my hand tightly. "I don't care. She hasn't changed, she just knows more. And she'll have a cabin all to herself." :Percy sighed. "Get going, then." :Colin led me out of the room. I stood next to him for a moment, just... outside, and then Colin broke the silence. :"Are we going to go?" :I nodded, and I walked with him to the cabins. :He held my hand the entire way. I could feel him shaking, and I felt scared for him. :As we neared the cabin, Colin pressed closer to me. I reached out, and touched the door handle. :Only to be pulled back by him. :As Colin's lips pressed against mine, I let go of all thoughts and set myself free. :For now. ---- Chapter 9 :The Hades cabin was kind of cool. It was made of solid black marble, and the steps were made of skulls. :Inside, there weren't any beds, but there was a set of stairs. :The sounds echoed as I went down them. :I entered a large room, which had beds in it. It seemed very small. :The lights were green, and I noticed these steps were made out of skulls, too. :I chose a bed, which turned out to be extremely comfortable. I sighed as I laid down. :I began to think about me and Colin... and the kiss... :I could still feel his lips pressing against mine, guiding me through the seconds that made it last. I could still feel his hands pulling me towards him, one cupped under my chin and the other one on my back, moving slowly downwards... :I remembered the shout of "Oh, gods, Colin, you can't do it in private?" by none other than Percy himself, who I had heard kissed his wife here, and then under water. :I couldn't help remembering as I pulled my lips from Colin's, and the desperation in his eyes as I turned away... :I woke with a snort. I had fallen asleep thinking about him, dreaming about- :"Anyone here?" a voice called. :I sat up, hearing the voice coming from upstairs. :"Hey," the voice called again. "I heard you're my half-sister." :I sat up and trudged up the stairs. There stood a boy no older than 9. :"Why are you so young?" I asked. :"Why are you so old?" he shot back, grinning. "I'm Minos." :I blinked. "Hi, Minos." :"I didn't know I would be sharing a cabin with a girl," Minos said, looking around. :"We're siblings-" :"Half-siblings," Minos interrupted. :"Yeah, whatever, we're siblings now," I pointed out. "Hades-" :"Minos, son," a man said. :"Hi," Minos said, turning, ignoring my angry groan. :"I am Hades," the Lord of the Dead said, holding out his arms. "And this cabin is awesome!" :"We didn't build it," I mumbled. "And we didn't ask-''" :"Be quiet, Annie. I am talking to Minos. I think it would be best for you if you went-" :"Yeah, yeah, away," I mumbled. "I'm ''going." :I threw on some clothes, which had somehow managed to find their way here, and went back upstairs. :Hades and Minos were nowhere to be found. ---- Chapter 10 :I raced out of the cabin and to the Apollo cabin, where I found Colin sleeping. :"Colin!" I shouted. "Wake up!" :He looked up and saw me standing on the steps. He grinned and stepped out of the bed, and crossed to me... :I couldn't kiss him again. Or, he couldn't kiss me. :"I have a half-brother," I began. :"How old?" Colin demanded. :"He looks about nine," I said. :"Okay," Colin said, relaxing. :"Hades came again, and he talked to him. I left and when I came back, he was-" :"Gone?" Colin asked. :I nodded, and Colin leaned in to kiss me, but I put my hand to my lips. "No." :"What should we do?" Colin asked, looking slightly hurt. :"Ask for a quest," I said curtly. "We have to get him back." :Colin's eyes hardened. "No, Dionysus won't let us go." :"How do you know?" I asked. :"I- I just do," Colin mumbled, caught off guard. :"Let's go, then." I turned to leave, but Colin called me back. "Wait." :"What?" I asked, turning back. :"You don't know how to fight," Colin said. :I gasped and nodded. "You're right..." :"Then you should-" :"What about Minos? He's my half-brother!" :"You can't go barging into Hades's realm without knowing how to fight," Colin reminded me. "He has all of the dead there." :I sighed. "And you can't train me?" :Colin shook his head. "You use a sword. I use a bow and arrow." :I sighed. "So... who can I train with, then?" :"Nobody in my cabin uses a sword," Colin began, "but Adonis is really, really good at making swords. And using them," he added. :"Or I could train you," Percy said, behind me. "Just don't let me touch water," he added, grinning. :I hadn't known he was there, but he was one of the best swordsman in the history of Camp Half-blood. :He would have to do. ---- Chapter 11 :Percy guided me to an arena, where he handed me a chest plate. "I'll be-" :"I think I'll be, actually," a voice behind me said. "Sorry, Percy, but it's a special assignment." :Percy clenched his fists. "We meet again." :I turned to see a man with black punk clothes on. :"I'll be leaving now," I said quickly. :I left the arena, and I hadn't even lifted my sword. :"Annie," Colin whispered. :"Colin, you're not allowed in here," I hissed. :He silenced me by pushing his lips against mine. :I pulled away. "Dude!" I protested. :It was the middle of the night. I was laying underneath the covers, and sweating. :"I just wanted to say…" Colin sighed. "I love you, Annie." :"You have to go!" I hissed. "Please, go..." :Colin nodded silently and swiftly went up the stairs. :And suddenly, there was Hades. :"What do you want?" I snarled. :"He only came here because Minos wasn't," Hades sneered. :That brought me back. Quickly. :"I hate you!" I screamed. "Dad, he was my brother!" :Hades tensed. "You don't know what you're talking about-" :"I do. You kidnapped Minos, and I don't care if you're a God, it's wrong." :Hades's eyes flamed. "You're dead." :"Nope," I said. "Look, I'm still alive!" :Hades gave a scream of defeat and vanished. :And I just smiled. Chapter 12 :"Annie!" I heard Colin call. "Who was that?" :"Dad," I called back. "I'll be right up, I need to find a shirt..." :I quickly threw on the first bright orange shirt I saw and left the cabin, to see Colin sitting on the front steps. :"I need to talk to you," he said quietly. "Can we go to the woods?" :I remembered Veronica and her boyfriend. "I'm not necessarily sure about there..." I began hesitantly. :"There's no other private spot!" :"The tree nymphs," I told him. "And they can talk." :"We have to find somewhere," he sighed. :"I wish we were mortal!" I cried, punching the air. :"Unfortunately, that's not how life works." Colin stood and put his hands in mine. "Please, Annie." :"I don't think there's anyone in the arena," I said hesitantly. "We could sit in a couple of seats." :"Good idea," Colin said hoarsely. :I wondered what he had to say. :Colin sat, and patted the seat behind me. We had a great view of the arena. :"What?" I murmured. :"I just feel..." Colin trailed off. :"You feel..." I prompted. :"I feel really uncomfortable about last night," he said, looking at me directly. :I sighed. "What happens, happens. There is nothing you can do about it." :"Except go back in time," Colin sighed. "I wish I was Kronos." :I nodded and turned away. :"Annie..." Colin whispered. "I don't know..." :I kissed him, hard. "Don't worry," I whispered. "If I get pregnant, I'll get an abortion. There will be no baby." :He kissed me back. "That's not it," he murmured. "I would love a baby." :"I can't handle it," I replied. :"But I'' could," Colin insisted, pulling away, breaking our heaven. "You could look for Minos, I could take care of it." :"Percy wouldn't allow it!" I snarled. "And what Apollo sibling would want a baby in the cabin?" :Colin sighed. "I know." :"I know better, obviously." :He kissed me, this time in-mouth. :And I could do was push him away, stand up, and walk out of the arena. Chapter 13 :''Minos, I thought. It was a subconscious thought, but it quickly came to the front of my mind. :I shuddered. What was- :Hades appeared next to me. "Children of Hades can never have kids," he told me. "That's just the way it is. You don't stand for life, you stand for death." :I stared in astonishment. "I can never have a baby?" I squeaked. :"It's not like you want to," Hades scoffed. :"I do," I yelled. "Why do you have to be my father?" :Hades looked astonished. "I just- I just wanted to-" :"Couldn't I have lived without that?" I asked. :Hades's eyes turned to fire. "Don't you dare, mortal-" :"Mortal?" I asked. :"I was talking to her," Hades said, pointing to someone behind me. :I turned and saw a girl. Red hair, freckles. Pale skin. :"Who are you?" I asked quietly. :"I'm you," the girl whispered. "If Hades wasn't your father." :I stared at the girl that would of been me. "I would like to be you," I murmured. :"If mortals made you, you would have a horrible secret," the girl rasped. "Remember that, Annie." :"Okay..." I murmured. "Annie." :"My name is Jackie," she yelled. And then she left the bathroom. :Hades stared at me. "Jackie! You've ruined everything," he called after her. :I stared at him for a long, long time, picked up my pregnancy tests, and left the room. :I knew exactly where I was going. :I saw her. "Jackie!" I screamed. "Please, wait..." :She turned. "What?" :"What would my secret be?" I asked quietly. :"Your secret would be everything," Jackie told me. :"What?" I asked, astonished. "For me, you sure don't seem like-" :"I've got to go," she whispered. :For a long time, I sat and pondered. What did she mean? :And then I knew. :If Hades hadn't been my father, I would of been the Oracle. Chapter 14 :"Hit the ground with it," my instructor suggested. :I did. :"Woah!" I screamed. A break had been made in the earth. :"You didn't expect that?" Nico asked. :"No," I mumbled. :Nico laughed. "Now, I'll teach you with a real sword. You need one," he added. :"Well-" :"I've asked Adonis. He'll do it," Nico told me. "In the meantime, we'll have to wait to continue these lessons." :I sighed. "But- Minos..." :"He's okay," Nico soothed. "Hades is just brainwashing him against you." :"Is he alive?" I demanded. :"Of course," Nico murmured. :"How do you get to the Underworld?" I asked. I wanted to see for myself what was going on. :"Hades will catch you," Nico warned. "He knows you're here. I don't stay here because of..." :"Because of what?" I asked quietly. :"He bullies me, too," Nico said quietly. "I'm often not here, and not usually in the Underworld. I've made a lot of sacrifices for you, you know." :"Thanks," I stammered. "I've got to go," I said quickly. :Nico looked confused as I left the arena, only to be cornered by Colin. :"What?" I asked. :"Are you...?" Colin asked quietly. :I knew what he was talking about. "No. I never will be." :"You don't want to-?" :"It's not you, it's me," I sighed. "Children of Hades can never be pregnant. Hades is the only one that can have a child." :Colin's eyes widened. :"He told me that I represent death. And becoming pregnant is life, apparently." :Colin's eyes brimmed with tears. "But-" :"It's not your fault!" I murmured. "It's just- that's what I am." :"I can't take you for who you are," Colin said quietly. "My lifelong dream is to have a child of my own, and if you're not going to give me that..." :"No," I whispered. :"We're done!" he screamed suddenly. "I don't ever want to be seen with you again." :And he was gone. Chapter 15 :I slammed my sword into the ground, screaming, "No!" :Then I sat down and cried. :I didn't care if I was where anyone could find me. I didn't care about anything... :Nothing would ever be right. :Blackness... :Annie, you hate him now, a voice said. :"He's so mean," I replied. :If he's so mean, why are you crying? If you hate him, he isn't worth it, the voice replied. :There was no longer blackness. I was standing in front of a house, with no weapons at all. The house looked dirty and disgusting, and there was no grass. There was red all over the yard. I hoped it was spray paint. :If you had a baby, this is what life would be like. If Colin had loved you... the voice whispered. I could tell that it was a woman, a girl, but it sounded nothing like me at all. :The door of the house burst open and a little boy flew out. "Ha! You can't catch me!" :Another boy flew out, holding a long, pointy, stick. "Yes I can!" he yelled back. :Oh no, I thought. They could get hurt! :A young woman burst through the door. Me. "You two get back in here!" the older me screamed. "Do I need to call the cops again?" :The boys stopped instantly. "I'm sorry," they yelled at the same time. Then they looked at each other and began to roll over and over... screaming... clawing... pain... :The first boy was dead. :"Good," the older me praised. "Colin needs to knock me up again." :The only boy looked astonished. "Can I watch this time?" :"You can participate," the older me replied. Then she looked straight at me. "What are you looking at?" :"W-what?" I sputtered. :"Do you want to participate, too?" the older me asked kindly. "Come in..." :"That's incest!" I screamed. "I'm not doing it with my son." :"Oh, yes you will," the older me snarled. "Come in-" :There was blackness once more. There was only a floating, glowing thing. :Don't you see? :It was talking directly into my head. "See what?" I asked nervously. :If Colin loved you, this is what you would turn out to be. :I shook my head. "No." :Yes. :"No!" I screamed. "No!" :I want to show you one other thing... the voice whispered. :Another scene. A really nice looking house. Almost a mansion. :A young boy ran out of the house. "Ha, you can't catch me, Jack!" :"Oh, yes I will!" another, older, boy, apparently named Jack, ran out, too. :Jack ran faster then the younger boy. "Tag!" Jack yelled. :"Aww, no fair!" the young boy protested. "You're fast." :"Boys, it's time for dinner." A man came out. :I gasped. "Jacob!" I said out loud. Jacob, a boy who liked me when I was still in school. I wondered how he was doing now. :He obviously didn't see me. "Jason! Now!" he yelled at the younger boy. :Another scene, the same family. :Jason and Jack squirmed in their seats, Jacob sat calmly and expectantly. :A young, pretty woman came in. "The Keppens prepared this for us. I added a couple of things, since it didn't look very appetizing..." :Jacob laughed, the two boys looked confused. :"It looks really good," Jacob praised the woman. "Annie, you're an amazing person." :"When you give me cookies!" Jason yelled. :Jack laughed. "Life isn't like that, little bro." :"Let's eat," Annie said quietly. The older me, I realized with a start. :The family sat, and I smiled. I didn't need Colin. :I didn't need anybody. :No, you don't, the voice agreed. Chapter 16 :I gasped and opened my eyes. :None of that was real, I thought. But somehow it was. :"A-are you okay?" a voice croaked. :I turned to see Nico right behind me. :"You've been laying there for five minutes. You weren't doing anything," he added. "You didn't even breathe." :I inhaled. "Message from the gods." :"About what?" :"About the person I used to love," I mumbled. "Look, Nico, I've got to go." :"Go do what?" :"I've got to go. Save my brother," I told him. "Our half-brother. I hope he still loves me." :"You need a sword and armor," Adonis told me. He shoved a pile of metal towards me. It was a full suit of armor, and on the front was the crest of Camp Half-Blood. On the back was a skeleton. :"Thanks," I said to Adonis. I had come to him at his request. :I am really going to save Minos. :I go to Percy. "I want a quest." :"A quest?" Percy echos. :"A quest, Johnson," Dionysus said. "You should be very familiar with the concept." :Percy glared at the god. Then he turned to me. "For what?" :"Minos," I said. :"Who is Minos?" Dionysus asked me. :Percy nodded his head. "Yes, who is he?" :"He was a camper here!" I squeaked. I couldn't believe their lack of attention. :"He was?" Percy asked. "Oh, well..." :"Hades took him to the Underworld," I say. "He's training him to hate us. I have to save him." :"When was this?" Percy asked. :"Three weeks ago," I said confidently. :"And you didn't come to us earlier?" Dionysus snarled. :"I was training. I had a lot of other things on my mind." :"Go save your brother," Percy suddenly said to me. :"Really?" I gasped. "Thank you, Percy, thank you!" :"I'll show you the closest entrance to the Underworld," Percy told me. "You go in two days." :I nodded. "Yes, sir." :"Do you need companions?" Percy asked me. :I shook my head. "This is something I have to do on my own." :"On your own..." Percy echoed. :"You're really brave, Annie," Dionysus said. "Don't forget that you are a daughter of Hades." Chapter 17 :My tongue was dry. My body was perfectly, completely still. :I was hiding. Watching. Waiting. :I could see Minos. Right there. :He was glaring up at my father- the one and only Lord of the Dead. :Suddenly, Minos changed into a large- a large creature. A dog? :My eyes stretched open and I could see- it was blurry- the roof of my cabin. :Or the roof of the basement, whatever. :"You're so stupid," I muttered to myself. "You actually believed that it was real." :That's when I saw him. Standing on the stairs to go back up to what everyone believed was my cabin. :"I'm sorry..." Colin's voice cracked. :I turned away from him. :"I was just... just- so excited for a child of my own." :I ignored Colin and began to twiddle my thumbs. No way is he apologizing, I thought to myself. He's faking it. :"I've felt bad ever since, Annie. And I love you, and I-" :I cut him off. "If you loved me, you wouldn't have done what you did. Get out of the Hades cabin. I don't want traitors in my midst." :Colin's eyes clouded. I glared at him. :Then he turned around and walked back up the stairs. :"Go," I whispered. "Go back to where you came from." Category:Original Character Category:Drama Category:Romance Category:PG-13 Rated Story Category:Self-Insertion Category:Forestpaw13